Hostos Online Learning Assessment: A Survey of Student Perceptions

The Office of Education Technology (EdTech) at Hostos Community College and faculty members from various departments created the Hostos Online Learning Assessment (HOLA) Task Force to design a survey for gathering and assessing data about students’ perceptions of their online learning experiences. The task force wanted to utilize the survey results to identify strengths and weaknesses in online instruction and student preparedness for the online learning environment. Student perceptions of online learning are integral to building upon current best practices and also gauging the preparedness of the students for the online learning environment, particularly in an urban, Hispanic-serving community college. The survey and results will be discussed within the broader context of best practices and online learning assessments as well as the way the HOLA Task Force is utilizing the data to make meaningful changes in the survey instrument, in addition planning for continuous improvement in online learning

The Impact of a Supplemental Instruction Program on Diverse Peer Leaders at a Two-Year Institution

Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a peer-led academic support program in which SI Leaders help students develop study habits and note-taking strategies as well as facilitate test preparation. While the effects of SI on students receiving the instruction have been thoroughly investigated, there have been far fewer studies that have assessed the impact of SI on its Leaders. Furthermore, research on Leaders has yet to adequately consider community colleges or Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), or to employ qualitative methodologies. Thus, this paper details an SI program developed at a two-year HSI and the impact of the SI Leaders’ experience via qualitative data analysis of structured, open-ended interviews. The majority of Leaders described shifts in long-term goals or changes in learning styles from individual learning and a desire to “look smart” to one that embraced asking for help, peer learning, and belonging. The data indicate a shift in academic mindset among Leaders, particularly among minority male and female adult learners and Latino males

Measuring Numeracy in a Community College Context: Assessing the Reliability of the Subjective Numeracy Scale

In this paper, our goals were to assess the suitability of the Subjective Numeracy Scale (SNS), developed for health-care use, in a new context with predominantly minority students at a South Bronx community college and to identify any race/ ethnicity, gender, and ESL enrollment effects. The scale assesses perceptions of quantitative reasoning skills and preferences for data presentation. This scale was given to a convenience sample of students in behavioral sciences classes. Results show that the SNS scale was reliable with our sample using the full thirteen-question scale or the shorter eight-item version. Gender, race/ ethnicity, and English as a Second Language (ESL) are related to perceptions of QR/QL. This study may help researchers see the SNS as a reliable instrument across samples and as a way to measure numeracy. The results of the multivariate analyses raise questions for future research about cultural differences for numerical presentation among these ethnic groups and our international student population